James Andrew debut novel WEST

All is not well with Christopher Wilks. Nor is all as it
seems. For one thing, he is ill-equipped for the mind-bending journey he is
about to undertake. Hitching a ride in a strange fifties-era station wagon
driven by an even stranger couple of elderly eccentrics he calls The Mister and
Missus, Christopher finds his life unwinding along with the countless miles—all
into the WEST. Is the journey real? Most certainly. But when is the natural
actually supernatural? He’s not quite sure. Mystical campsites, impossible
visitations, shattering memories come-to-life...the roadside attractions he
encounters are incredible and exhilarating. James Andrew's WEST straps the
reader in for a thrill ride through landscapes both painfully real, and wildly
fantastical.

My review:

I loved the opening line of Andrew’s description of his
quirky little novel. It’s not quite cliché, and it sets the tone for this ride
of a lifetime.

Seeing one’s life before one’s eyes is not nearly as much
fun as this clock-less journey with quaint and occasional surprising guides as
Christopher visits his past. Where are we going? he asks after some time, when
he’s had the time to recover from acute hopelessness in the gentle but
unexpectedly fun and poignant care of
his hosts. Camping out, the endless supply of food, convenient pull-outs never
seem to be a cause for question until Christopher’s hauntings, so to speak,
begin to rouse him. From the innocuous question of how did they know my name,
to passing through the eye of the needle in painful accusations to meeting
people long gone from his life, the journey is more than allegory, and the
destination coming quickly.

Told through Christopher’s eyes with gentle splashes from
The Mister and The Missus, WEST is an interesting look at one interpretation
of—without giving anything away—a reflection of a life not so well-lived. I
never thought about needing to prepare for such a journey, but as I read I
thought, why not? Those intrigued by spiritual things will enjoy this story. A
few grammatical and punctuation issues made this editor stop a couple of times
to make a mental fix, but the casual reader shouldn’t be bothered. Nicely done.

About the Author

Artist, Designer and sometimes writer, James Andrew lives
and works on Hayden Island on the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon. WEST was
written during the long hospitalization of his wife Irene, who’s been faced
with the challenge of recovering from several disabling strokes.